Frenchman’s display of natural ability during spells in Denmark and Germany is a positive indicator for his move to Anfield
H
ugo Ekitiké is a £79m striker who has swapped the Bundesliga for the Premier League champions and is preparing to test himself against the best defenders in England and Europe. Four years ago, he was struggling to make the breakthrough at his boyhood club Reims and was sent on loan to Denmark to learn about football and himself.
Ekitiké arrived as an 18‑year‑old in the city of Vejle in January 2021 to join a club primed for a relegation battle, a world away from what he can expect at Liverpool. Although a naturally confident person, he took time to settle into life away from home. But it was quickly apparent Ekitiké possessed natural ability and electrifying pace with which to torment teammates in training and excite his manager. First, though, he needed to get up to speed with the Danish league and began with a cameo off the bench in a goalless draw against Aarhus.
“We put him on for the final 10 minutes as a striker and he didn’t play very well, but that is normal,” the former Vejle head coach Constantin Galca says. “You need a little time to adapt to the team. But the next game we put him left-wing. We saw before in the clips of him that he had good control, good speed. Before he was playing more as a striker, but we thought he would be dangerous on the wing. He’s a perfect player for modern football because he has all the attributes: pace, skill, physicality and finishing.”
